The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Panicum virgatum and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Purple Tears’. ‘Purple Tears’ represents a new cultivar of switchgrass, an ornamental grass grown for landscape use.
The Inventor discovered ‘Purple Tears’ in a nursery plot in Hummelo, Netherlands in the summer of 2011. Although the parentage is unknown, Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’ (not patented) is thought to be a likely parent based on the characteristics of ‘Purple Tears’ and its proximity in the same growing area.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by division in Hummelo, Netherlands in 2012 by the Inventor. Asexual propagation by division has determined that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.